Tag: spontaneity

Chicken Dance in a Box

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

Over the years, a favorite activity of student groups I’ve been involved with has been “Sermon in a Box.

A student would volunteer, stand up front, and ask for one or two words to build an impromptu two-minute sermon around.

They then had 60 seconds to plan their “sermon” before delivering it.

The results were often hilarious and occasionally profound.

Today I asked my youngest daughter, Grace, for two words for me to fit into my blog.

She chose the words “chicken” and “dance.”

Okay.

At least I have more than 60 seconds.

And I have the internet.

And, oh what a treasure trove I have found! (Thank you Wikipedia – no guarantees of accuracy).

Did you know that the chicken dance was based on a song composed by the Swiss accordionist Werner Thomas in 1957.

It was originally the “Duck Dance.”

In 1981, when the song was performed at Oktoberfest in Tulsa, OK, a man dressed in a chicken outfit danced to it.

Because of that little incident, we now have – the “Chicken Dance.”

Photo credit – ChatGPT

Thanks a lot, Tulsa.

But then, what harm has the chicken dance ever done?

The moment that insidious accordion rhythm starts playing, the young and the young at heart all get up and start flapping their wings.

By the end of the song, anyone who is not a stick in the mud or way too cool for their own good is up having a hilariously good time without regard for personal pride.

All that without the embarrassingly suggestive lyrics of a certain other party song.

I never said this was going to be a profound blog.

But maybe it will inspire some profound clean fun.

Since I’ve already planted the “Chicken Dance” tune in your brain, the only way to get it out is to play the song.

So, go ahead. Crank it up and grab anyone who isn’t too hung up on themselves and have a mini party.

If it turns out bad, blame it on my daughter.

And don’t forget to blame that chicken guy in Tulsa too.

 

This or That: Planner or Pantser?

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

I got a haircut today. I intentionally put on a shirt with my church name to make a natural way for me to invite the stylist to our “At the Movies” Series starting tomorrow.

You could say I’m a planner.

That spills over to other parts of my life.

A lot of times, I have almost as much fun planning a vacation as I do when I take it. I’ll spend hours researching the best deals, most interesting or fun activities, best places to stay, and so on.

I’m driving to California soon, and I’ve been busy checking gas prices along the route and finding the best motels to stay in. I’ve even calculated the cost per mile for gasoline versus E85.

I might be a little obsessive.

But there’s hope for the “pantser” (one who flies by the seat of their pants) in me. I always plan for flexibility. On every vacation, we make sure there’s at least one unplanned day that we can either relax or do something spontaneous.

I also truly enjoy spur of the moment games or movies with the family. Sometimes I even lay aside my plans so that can happen. This afternoon’s writing session wasn’t planned, but here I am, avoiding the yard work in 100-degree heat.

Is there a point to this spontaneous little blog?

Does there have to be?

Okay, the planner in me has to admit, my plan is to tell my fellow planners to chill. Some, if not most, of the best moments in life are spontaneous.

Of course, you need to plan to make time for them.

And, yes, I did mention “At the Movies” to our stylist (and to you, twice – click the link).

Now, excuse me while I do some more planning on my novel’s outline.